Best Real Money Dota 2 Betting Sites for 2018

There was a time when Dota 2 betting was only available at a few sites. That’s no longer the case as it’s available at dozens of different places these days. Some are small sites that specialize in Dota 2 betting, while others are mainstream betting sites that have added Dota 2 to the other markets they offer.

The overall standard of these sites varies quite dramatically. Therefore, it’s important to think carefully when choosing which one(s) to join. Luckily for you, we’ve made this very easy. Following some extensive research and testing, we’ve identified a few places that genuinely stand out as the BEST Dota 2 betting sites around. These are the sites we recommend joining, and we’ve listed them here for you.

Dota 2 is an INSANELY popular video game. Released back in 2013, it’s been ever since. It’s also one of the most important titles on the competitive video gaming scene. Professional Dota 2 contests regularly attract huge audiences from around the world, and the game features in many of the highest profile esports tournament and leagues.

Just like other popular esports games, Dota 2 generates a lot of betting interest. In fact, it’s the second most bet on game, after League of Legends. Real money Dota 2 betting is BIG business, and it’s likely to get even bigger in the future. This is evidenced by how many Dota 2 betting sites there are.

There are several reasons why we’ve chosen to recommend these sites. Above all else is the simple fact that they’re reputable and trustworthy places to bet. They’re not going to disappear overnight with your money or refuse to pay you your winnings. These sites are all legitimate operations that are fully licensed and regulated. Unfortunately, that’s not true of EVERY Dota 2 betting site.

Here are a few other reasons why these sites stand out from all the rest:

Excellent coverage of Dota 2 contests

Good variety of Dota 2 betting options

Competitive Dota 2 odds and lines

Easy to deposit and fast withdrawals

Generous bonuses & rewards

Helpful customer support

We can confidently state that you won’t be disappointed with what our recommended sites have to offer. If you’re looking to bet on Dota 2 right now, these are the sites to join. You can sign up at any one of them and be sure of a good experience.

Please note that these are our recommended sites for REAL MONEY Dota 2 betting. If you’re interested in item betting (or “skin” betting), you’ll need to look elsewhere. Not too far, though, as we’ve covered this form of Dota 2 betting below. We’ve explained the basics of how it works and looked at a few sites where it’s available.

There’s more on this page, too. We’ve provided a brief overview of the Dota 2 game and looked at why it’s so popular. We’ve also detailed the biggest Dota 2 tournaments and leagues.

Dota 2 Item Betting

Dota 2 features a number of cosmetic items that can be found or earned when playing the game. Also known as skins, these items serve no real purpose other than to alter the appearance of various aspects of the game. However, they’re highly sought-after by players. So much so, that there’s a thriving market place where these items can be bought and sold for real money.

The official trading platform for Dota 2 items is the (pictured below). Players can list their items for sale and purchase items from other players. This activity is fully authorized by Valve Corporation, the developers of Dota 2. There are also several third-party websites where players can buy and sell items, too.

The items shown in the above screenshot are of low-value. Although the majority of items are worth similar amounts, some of the most in-demand items can fetch much higher sums. The most expensive item that ever went was for an astonishing $38,000, and prices of $1-2,000 are not uncommon.

In addition to these items being traded online, some Dota 2 betting sites accept them as an alternative to real money. This means they can actually be used for the purposes of betting. The basic principle is pretty much the same as traditional betting, but we’re using items instead of cash. Rather than stake a sum of money of our wagers, we stake one or more of our items. We then get paid out with more items if we win.

Initially, items could only be used to bet on the outcome of professional Dota 2 matches. Things have evolved since then, however, and we can now use items to gamble on all kinds of different things. We can play roulette, for example, and various lottery style games.

If betting with Dota 2 items appeals to you, please make sure you read the following article first. Item betting is NOT regulated and is considered very high risk. It’s important to understand all the facts before getting involved, and we explain them for you here.

We’re often asked to recommend item or skin betting sites, but it’s not something we’re prepared to do at the moment. Most of these sites are outright scams, or a bit shady at the very least, and we haven’t found ANY that we’d feel comfortable recommending.

If you’re absolutely determined to get involved, the following sites seem to be among the most popular. We’re not endorsing these sites in any way, but they do at least SEEM to be vaguely legitimate.

DotaJackpots.com

Dota2Lounge.com

VPGame.com

An Overview of Dota 2

Dota 2 was released in 2013, following a two-year open beta. It’s a standalone sequel to the original Defense of the Ancients, which was a customized mod for another game (Warcraft III). The game is free to play online and is classified as a MOBA. MOBA is short for
, which is currently a very popular genre of video game.

Matches in Dota 2 are played by two competing teams. Each team consists of five players, with each player taking control of one the many playable characters in the game. The characters are defined by the role they are suited to play, and there are nine official roles in total. These are as follows.

Carries

Disabler

Initiator

Jungler

Support

Durable

Nuker

Pusher

Escape

Choosing the right characters is an important part of the game. They all have their own unique abilities and skills, and teams must ensure that they have a good balance of different roles. An unbalanced team will be easily defeated by competent opponents.

The characters all have an experience level of one at the start of a match. They gain experience levels as the match progresses, making them stronger and giving them access to new abilities. Although they can “die” during a match, they respawn after a short period of time.

Matches are played on a single map. The two teams occupy bases on opposing corners, which are linked by three paths known as lanes. Each base contains a structure known as the “Ancient,” and the teams must try to destroy their opponent’s structure while defending their own.

Most of the action in Dota 2 revolves around fighting against the playable characters on the opposing team. There are also computer-controlled “creeps” to contend with. Here’s a screenshot of a typical battle.

Please note that this overview of Dota 2 is intended only to serve as a brief introduction to the game. If you’re not already familiar with how it’s played, we STRONGLY recommend learning more before betting on it for actual money. Knowing just the basics really won’t help you to make good betting decisions. The following guide goes into much more detail and is well worth reading.

Perhaps the best way to improve your Dota 2 knowledge is to play the game for yourself. This isn’t essential by any means, but it can definitely help. It will give you far more insight into the game than reading about it will.

An alternative is to watch some video tutorials on YouTube. Although this isn’t quite the same as actually playing, it will still give you a better understanding of the game. There are plenty of videos to choose from, and some of them are really well done. We suggest starting with this one:

Why is Dota 2 So Popular?

There are hundreds of new video games released every year. Some are successful, but many are not. Very few are as successful as Dota 2. So, what is it about this game that has made it so popular? How does it draw in so many players? More importantly, how does it keep them playing for so long?

We can’t provide definitive answers to these questions. There’s no way of knowing for CERTAIN why Dota is so popular, but we do have some ideas. We think the following factors are probably significant:

Free to play

In-game tutorials and guides

Very in-depth

Tons of associated content

Huge community

Exciting to watch

The fact that Dota 2 is free to play doesn’t explain why so many people enjoy the game. It might explain why they play it in the first place, though. Even if they’re not convinced they’re going to like it, they’ve got nothing to lose by giving it a go. With many top video games costing upwards of $50 these days, that HAS to be a factor.

Dota 2 is very “beginner-friendly.” Although it’s a complex game, it’s not too difficult to get started on, thanks to the in-game tutorials and guides. This is likely to prevent players from giving up on the game before they really get into it. And when they DO get it into it, they’ll soon realize it how in-depth it is. This is not a game that people get bored of quickly, as there’s so much to do and explore.

All the associated content must play its part, too. If people want a break from actually playing the game, there’s plenty of game-related stuff to read and watch. The large and active community also helps, as there are lots of places to discuss various aspects of the game. The , for example, is extremely active.

The final factor on our list is an interesting one. People don’t just enjoy playing Dota 2, they enjoy watching OTHERS play it too. The professional contests naturally get a lot of attention, but the interest doesn’t end there. Lots of players broadcast their “casual” gaming activity on streaming channels such as Twitch, and some of them attract massive audiences.

Although there are bound to be other reasons why Dota 2 is so popular, we’re pretty sure that these are surely among the most important. And one thing we’re certain of is that this game isn’t going to fade into obscurity any time soon. It’s firmly established as one of THE top esports games, and we’ve seen nothing to suggest that it’s about to change.

Premier Dota 2 Tournaments

The most important Dota 2 tournaments are officially classified as “Premier Tournaments.” These are the events that feature the best teams and the largest prize pools. They’re typically held by well-known franchises and tournament organizers, and they’re viewed as being EXTREMELY prestigious.

There are several Premier Tournaments that are held on a regular (or semi-regular) basis. The following are some of the biggest:

The International

The Dota Major Championships

Dota 2 Asia Championships

EPICENTER

The Summit

The International and the Dota Major Championships are easily the highest profile events on this list. They’re organized by Valve Corporation and they have HUGE prize pools. There are three Major Championships every year, and each one has a fixed prize pool of $3 million. The International takes place once a year, with a variable prize pool that reached over $20 million in 2016 and 2017.

Dota 2 Asia Championships

The Dota 2 Asia Championships were first held in 2015. The inaugural tournament had a prize pool of over $3 million and featured 16 teams. Eight of these were direct invites, while the other eight had to qualify. The Evil Geniuses took first place, winning $1,284,158.

The next tournament was not held until 2017. This time, there were just 12 teams. Four were direct invites, and eight came through regional qualifiers. The winners were Invictus Gaming, one of the qualifying teams. The prize pool was $600,000. Although this was significantly lower than in 2015, it was still one of the biggest of the year.

EPICENTER

EPICENTER was first held in 2016. It was founded by Epic Esports Events and took place in Moscow, Russia. The tournament was split into several stages, culminating in a double-elimination bracket. The winners were Team Liquid, and they took home 50% of the $500,000 prize pool.

The 2017 EPICENTER was also held in Moscow. The prize pool remained at $500,000, and Team Liquid successfully defended their title.

The Summit

The Summit has been running since 2014. It’s organized by Beyond the Summit, and there has been a total of seven tournaments so far. Each one has been held in Los Angeles at a private house. Coverage of the tournaments has always included a “behind the scenes” look at the way players prepare for participating tournaments. The prize pool is usually around $100,000.

We’ve provided this information about past tournaments because it makes for a bit of interesting reading. It also leads to us a very important piece of advice. It’s absolutely VITAL that you keep fully up to date with the Dota 2 tournament scene when you’re betting on the game. This is because you need to keep track of how teams are performing if you want to make good betting decisions in future contests. You also need to know which tournaments are coming up and when.

The is a great resource for this. You’ll find results and reports of all previous events and details of all the upcoming ones. You should also keep an eye on our gambling blog. We regularly publish betting previews of esports tournaments and other contests, and our team of experts usually have some excellent tips to offer!